


The Pacifist's Dilemma

by Scampy



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 09:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6512065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scampy/pseuds/Scampy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Quartz tries to convince an old friend to help her defend the Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pacifist's Dilemma

“It’s a rare enough thing, you know,” Rubellite said.

“What is?” Rose Quartz asked.

“For a planet to have a moon as grand and bright as this one.”

“I suppose it is.”

The two of them stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. Hundreds of feet below, waves danced across the sandy shores as the ocean breathed in, out, and in again. Each steady flow would paint the white dunes of the beach with a deep tan as the water receded. Far, far above, a cloudless sky was filled with shining stars, with the great band of the local galaxy stretching from one horizon to the other.

“And yet...” Rubellite stood at the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing maroon waves across the fabric of her lengthy gown. “Gems know the truth, do we not, Rose Quartz?”

“What truth is that?”

“That a moon’s fleeting glow can only envy eternal starlight.”

Rose remained silent. Her gaze lifted from the pale moon to the millions of twinkling heavenly bodies surrounding it.

“I know what you intend to do,” Rubellite said.

“And do you understand why?”

“I understand why you think it is necessary. But their lives are as temporary as they are beautiful, Rose Quartz. Even if you save them from this threat, the creatures of Earth are born to die.”

Again, Rose had no response. Instead, she watched the waves, focusing on the ones that climbed just high enough to have thin splashes of foam as they fell on the shore.

“Such a strange, busy world.” Bending down, Rubellite ran her crimson fingers through the grass. “Every corner of it overflows with organic life, and yet the night can remain so silent.” Rubellite stood and turned towards Rose. “Do you think they are afraid?”

“What—?” Rose snapped back to see Rubellite was staring at her. Scarlet eyes pierced into her own. “Who are you talking about? Afraid of what?”

Rubellite’s gaze softened for the briefest of seconds, then she looked away. “I understand what you see in this world, Rose Quartz. Truly, I do.”

“Then you know why we have to save it!” Rose said.

“Is it ‘we’ already?”

“W-well...” Rubellite’s response caught her off guard. The larger gem had been a close friend for centuries, always providing advice and assistance whenever Rose was in need. At the same time, Rose realized, she had never asked Rubellite for something of this magnitude.

“What you would ask of me... Weighing the value of Earth’s life against that of gems is a choice I do not wish to make. And if you force my hand, you may not like the answer you receive.”

“Rubellite, please!” Rose pleaded. “You joining our cause would send a powerful message to other gems with doubts about the invasion. We can end these genocides once and for all! Billions of lives are at stake!”

Looking down at her, Rubellite brushed a curl of pink hair away from Rose’s eyes. “One of those lives is yours, Rose Quartz. Even if you succeed in fending off the Diamonds, you are only one gem. They will come back, and even with your attendant—”

“Pearl is my friend,” Rose interrupted. “Not my servant.”

“Even with your friend, formidable as she may be, you cannot hope to defend this planet for long. You have no chance.”

Rose stared at her, unblinking. “I have no choice.”

With a sigh, Rubellite turned away. She paced along the edges of the cliff, so close that her gown dangled off the edge, swaying in the breeze. “I do not want to see the inhabitants of Earth harmed, Rose Quartz. No more than I wish to see my fellow gems harmed. But it is not my place to decide.”

“Earthlings didn’t choose this, though, and gems came here to kill them anyway!” Rose said, her voice raising with every word. “Neither of us wants to see another slaughter. We can stop the Diamonds, Rubellite! We can save this planet and everything on it!”

“What then?” Rubellite asked. “What happens if you are somehow victorious? Do you think the Diamonds will just leave the Earth for good? Resistance reflects poorly on those in control, Rose Quartz. If you stay to help the creatures of Earth now, I fear you will remain helping them forever.”

“Just because some things will always need help doesn’t mean they’re not worth helping.”

At that, Rubellite smiled. “Were your weapons as powerful as your kindness, the Diamonds would not stand a chance.”

Rose couldn’t help but laugh. Rubellite chuckled softly as well.

The night fell silent once more, save for the rhythmic sounds of waves. A gentle wind whispered through the air, and Rose felt the curls of her hair swaying. There had to be some way to turn Rubellite to her side. There must be some perfect idea she hadn’t thought of yet, some perfect alignment of words that would awaken Rubellite to the necessity of protecting the Earth.

“Have you killed before, Rose Quartz?”

“W-what?” Rose stammered. The question had caught her off guard. She took a step back from the cliff’s edge, then lowered her head. The echoes of a trillion screams sounded in her mind as Rose struggled to remember the names of each dead planet left in the Diamonds’ wake. Corundum, Beryl, Feldspar... How many others had there been? Even in those days, she had objected to every invasion, every colony, every extinction. Her misgivings had almost seemed like penance for all the species she had helped destroy. Almost.

“You know that I have,” she said finally.

Rose looked up to see Rubellite studying her. “And have you killed a gem before?” She asked.

“Well, no, I haven’t. But—”

“If you go to war with the Diamonds, you will have to. More than once.” Rubellite turned around to face the sea, her maroon gown swaying around her. “Are you prepared to turn your sword on your own kind?”

“If that’s what it takes,” Rose said, clenching a fist at her side.

“If violence to end violence is the path you have chosen, I will not try to stop you. But I cannot walk it with you.”

“I don’t want to kill anything, Rubellite. Especially not other gems. But someone has to do the right thing and protect this planet.”

Rubellite raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know what the right thing is?”

“Because I know what the wrong thing is!” Rose shouted. “Standing by and letting the Diamonds ravage this planet is as criminal as doing it myself!”

At that, Rubellite glanced over her shoulder, her scarlet eyes falling on Rose. There was a prolonged silence, then she turned back to the sea. “War does not care about right or wrong, Rose Quartz. If war is what you intend, it is war you must contend with, along with all its vices.”

“Life on Earth is precious. And if going to war will save it, then—”

“All life is precious, Rose Quartz. And if you go to war to save some lives, you will be dooming countless others. Does that make you a protector or an aggressor?”

Rose opened her mouth to argue, but she could not find the words.

“Truthfully, there is no right answer,” Rubellite said.

Rose looked out over the water, and the only sound she heard was the soft murmur of an ocean breeze. All around her, cool leaves of grass wavered back and forth in the wind, and if Rose held her breath, she could hear the calls of gulls as they glided over the water.

If she didn’t take action, it would all be gone. 

“I don’t want anyone to die. But war is the only way to save innocent lives from invading ones,” Rose said.

“There is always a choice, Rose Quartz. A choice between peace and war, between tranquility and chaos, between life and death.”

“But it’s not just my choice,” Rose argued. “The Diamonds have made their choice, and I have to make mine!”

After a long pause, Rubellite spoke. “Their decisions are based on quantities and resources. Yours is informed by morality. Quantities can change. Resources can be discovered elsewhere. But morality is timeless. I cannot tell you which path to take, Rose Quartz, but I can assure you of this. Whichever you choose, you must see to its end. For you, the choice to be certain is as vital as the choice itself.”

“I just have to dissuade them,” Rose realized. “Make them believe the Earth isn’t worth the effort to conquer.”

“To do so will cost many lives,” Rubellite said. “And for that reason, I cannot fight alongside you. But you were right in what you said earlier.”

“About what?”

“To remain neutral in this conflict is as sinful as massacring either side. And while I may not wade into battle with you, I will advise you in any other way I can.”

At that, Rose felt a smile. “There’s something I have in mind right now, actually,” she said.

“Oh?” Rubellite replied. “And what is that?”

“If we tell the Diamonds that we, the Gems, are declaring war on them, the Gems, well...”

“The battles would be remarkably confusing,” Rubellite finished with a laugh. 

“Tell me this, Rubellite...” Rose said. “What do you know about crystals?”


End file.
